


An Anthology of Monsters

by DeathByStorm



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Banshee Lance, F/M, Fairy Allura, Gen, Genie Shiro, M/M, Phoenix Shiro, Shapeshifter shiro, character death only in the first entry, incubus Keith kicks ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-07-21 02:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16150391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathByStorm/pseuds/DeathByStorm
Summary: Day 10 Fairy (one-sided Allurance)“Wait-” Lance stopped. “You’re a-”“Fairy? Does that bother you?” Allura said.“Don’t fairies steal people?”“I promise you, Lance. I am not planning to take anything I haven’t already.” She turned to face him and put her hand to her chest.Part 10 of the 31 Day Creature Month prompt list foundhere





	1. Grim Reaper (gen)

**Author's Note:**

> I have never done a challenge like this and it's pushing me a little outside of the rampant fluff I usually write, so I am eager to see how it turns out! 
> 
> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing this. All remaining mistakes are my own.

October 1: Grim Reaper

  


They say that when you’re dying, your life flashes before your eyes or that your loved ones whom had already passed on would come to guide you home.

Neither was true.

As Keith lay in the street, his blood pooling around him, all he could think about were his regrets. He regretted the fact that he was so impulsive that he’d run out into oncoming traffic to save a cat. He regretted the fact that he hadn't seen the car, and, most of all, he regretted that he was going to die without seeing Shiro again. With all of the tragedies that his brother had seen in his life, he definitely didn’t deserve to have this one added to the list.

How did he know he wasn’t going to make it? Well, you see, he couldn’t feel his fingers. Or his toes. Maybe he’d get lucky and while he’d always held out hope, he’d never pinned his fortunes on something as fickle as luck.

He opened his eyes and looked straight ahead from where he was curled on his side. The ambulance lights were glinting off the puddles and Keith squinted against the glare. The heavy rain continued to pelt him and the pavement. The cat was nowhere in sight, having run off into the bushes when Keith had rushed onto the road to rescue it. He tried to turn his head but found that he couldn’t. Great. His neck was broken then.

“Hey.”

Keith blinked. There was a man about his age in front of him covered in black robes, his face cast in shadow. In his hand was a very sharp looking scythe.

Keith gulped, and tears began to mix with the rain. This was really it then.

“Hey no, don’t cry. It’s just for show.”

The reaper set the scythe down on the ground and made his way over to him. Soft fingers, unlike the bone Keith had been expecting, brushed back his sopping wet bangs and then wiped away some of his tears with its thumb.

“I-I’m scared,” Keith rasped. He could taste the blood on the back of his teeth.

“It’s okay to be scared,” the figure said.

The creature took off his hood and Keith saw that it was no monster, but a boy about his age wearing a kind smile. His blue eyes were unlike any shade that Keith had seen in his nineteen years on this planet and Keith found his tears drying up at the sight of him.

“I don’t want to go,” Keith said. “I can't leave Shiro. I'm the only family he has.”

“I’m really sorry, but you must,” the boy said. “It’s time to come home.”

He was leaning forward before Keith had a chance to protest. Soft lips brushed his forehead and he relaxed as his whole world narrowed down to the kiss the reaper was pressing into his skin.

“Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Take my hand.”

Keith opened his eyes and took the proffered hand before he remembered that he wasn’t able to move anymore. The boy smiled and hauled him to his feet.

“We’re losing him!” Keith blinked and watched hand-in-hand with the reaper as the paramedics rushed over to his body and began CPR.

Around them, it began to get brighter and Keith glanced back before he was guided inexorably toward the light.

“Shiro...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell about Voltron with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Part 1 of the October Creature month challenge found [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


	2. Incubus/Succubus (Klance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance spots a damsel in need of help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing this. All remaining mistakes are my own.

October 2: Incubus/Succubus

  


“Oh geez,” Hunk said. “That doesn’t look good.”

“Hmm?” Lance looked up from his drink and followed Hunk’s pointing finger across the bar.

A trio of rough-looking assholes had surrounded an unearthly beautiful man. Lance's mouth went dry. Which was you know, weird for a water sprite.

“No it doesn't. Looks like it’s my turn to be a knight in shining armour.”

Hunk sighed, “Be careful, Lance.”

“Pfft when am I not?”

Lance slammed back the rest of his drink and headed across the crowded room.

“Hey buddy, he’s not interested.” Lance came up behind him. “Maybe you should leave him alone.”

“You stay out of this,” the man snarled.

“Yeah, you stay out of this. We were talking to him,” the second overly muscular bozo said. “He's going to come with us. He owes us a good time.”

“Yeah, no, he doesn’t,” Lance said.

“’He’ can speak for himself,” the beautiful stranger said. “Get out of here before I make you regret it.”

The thugs turned to each other and laughed. “The three of us against you two twinks? It’ll be a walk in the –“

Crack!

The leader's nose broke with a satisfying spray of blood. The dude - who clearly did not need rescuing, holy shit – flexed his hand and smirked before raising his fists.

“You were saying?”

The man screamed and charged forward. Lance took his chance and punched him in the kidneys.

From there, it was pandemonium. Lance grabbed a barstool and clobbered one man, who must have had some kind of ogre ancestry because holy fuck he was huge, on the head. The man shook off the blow and roared. He could see Hunk slowly making his way towards him in glimpses through the fighting bodies before an impact to the side of his face sent him sprawling. He was helped up by the beautiful stranger and man, he really had to figure out something else to call him.

“ALRIGHT EVERYBODY OUT!” the barkeep roared.

The room fell silent as everyone froze in their tracks.

“I’m not kidding. You have ten seconds before I sic my fireballs on all of you,” the man said. He held out a hand so everyone could see the flames dancing around his fingertips.

They were closer to the bar counter than the door, so had to wait until most of the crowd had cleared out befor they could make their escape.

“I can take care of myself. You didn’t have to interfere,” the man said. He looked conflicted for a moment before sighing, “but thanks.”

“Twas my duty as a knight in shining armour,” Lance said. He bowed in a manner that was very gallant if he said so himself. “Might I know the name of the one I rescued?”

"You didn’t rescue me and the name’s Keith.”

“I’m Lance.”

It was then that Lance caught a glimpse of the telltale horns poking out of the dude’s messy hair. He looked around the back and saw a triangle tipped tail sweeping the floor. “You’re an incubus!”

The man crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “What of it?”

“It’s just, I’ve never met one before,” Lance said. “You’re incredibly rare.”

“Do you like blurting out well-known facts about the subspecies of the people you meet?”

“Only the cute ones,” Lance’s traitor mouth said.

“You know what-“

“Wait, I'm sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Lance said.

“So, you don’t think I'm cute.”

Lance, against all odds, blushed. He looked up at the smirking face and dazedly noticed that there was a bit of fang there as well. Despite the sharp angles of Keith’s face, there was a softness in his eyes that warmed Lance to his very toes.

“I uh-“

He leaned in and said in Lance’s ear. “That’s too bad. I happen to think you're very cute.”

And thanks to poor Lance’s sprite genes, steam began pouring out of his ears. He stood there frozen as Keith turned and walked away

Hunk looked to Lance's red face and then Keith’s retreating back and then back to Lance’s red face. He nudged Lance. “Go after him.”

“I – ”

“I can guarantee that you'll regret it if you don’t.”

Lance stared at Keith’s retreating back for a bit longer and watched, conflicted as he turned the corner. No way a guy like that would want to go out with a guy like him. But the worst he could say was no.

Lance took off running and skidded around the corner right into Keith, who'd turned around and was coming back the way he'd come. Keith caught him before he had an undignified meeting with the pavement.

“Are you sure you’re not a parking ticket? Because you have fine written all over you,” Lance blurted.

“I should be asking you that,” Keith muttered.

He gently set Lance on his feet. Lance took a couple of deep breaths and said, “I’ve lost my number. Can I have yours?”

Keith raised his eyebrow.

“I’m can’t seem to stop myself,” Lance mumbled.

“I was coming back to give it to you anyway,” Keith said. “And it’s part of my charm. It affects people in different ways if I'm around them for too long.”

“I-is that so?”

He pressed a slip of paper into Lance’s hands and kissing his cheek as he did so. Lance gasped. Damn, did he ever smell good.

Keith pulled back with a wicked smile. “Call me.”

Lance watched as the incubus continued on his way, too flustered to say anything.

“Good job, Lance!” Hunk came up behind him and slung his arm around Lance’s shoulder.

“Hunk, buddy, I think I’m in love.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell about Voltron with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Part 2 of the October Creature month challenge found [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


	3. Banshee (Shance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old McClain family curse comes back to haunt Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always.
> 
> I'm not 100% happy with this one, but it's October 3rd so here you go!

Day 3: Banshee

  


It was a beautiful place to wash.

Lance held his bundle tighter as he sniffled, heedless of the blood that was smearing more and more on his clothes as he walked. He had to clean them. After all, they’d belonged to someone very dear to him. At the thought, the deep dark pit inside of him asserted itself into his awareness. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he knelt by the stream, heedless of the muddy shore. He started with the broken chest piece.

“Lance, are you okay?”

He looked up and saw a teenage girl, small for her age, standing above him with a concerned look on her face. She looked vaguely familiar to him as if he’d known her once upon a time long ago. The immediacy of the task meant that he hardly spared her more than that a glance. He shook his head.

“The blood has to come off,” he said. His hands shook. “It’s not coming off, but it has to.”

“What blood?”

“Guys, I don’t mean to alarm you but the water’s turning red. Lance, wake up!”

Lance turned towards the distant voice and saw no one, though the image of someone else he felt he should recognize flickered quickly across his mind’s eye. He turned around and focused on the washing. He needed to get it clean. The sorrow built up inside and he couldn’t help sobbing as he worked. After all, why shouldn’t he? Shiro was gone.

“What is it?”

“It’s blood!”

“ _Blood?”_

“Lance!”

Lance’s eyes snapped open. He shook his head as the image of the creek in his dreams superimposed itself on the kitchen sink full of red suds in front of him. He pulled a red hand out of the soapy water and slapped himself with it. The castle kitchen quickly snapped into focus for him.

His cheeks were wet, and his throat was sore as if he’d been screaming at a concert for a prolonged period of time. Or wailing. The bloody sink in front of him showed the truth. Floating in it were pieces of paladin armour.

“No,” he said.

“Something’s very wrong here,” Hunk said. His voice shook as he spoke. “Lance, are you okay?”

Lance grasped the lip of the sink with trembling fingers and looked up into Hunk’s concerned eyes. The whole team sans Shiro was there standing in front of him. He felt cold despite the warm room, and shivers ran up and down his body making his teeth rattle.

He shook his head.

“Do you need a hug?” Hunk asked.

Lance nodded shakily, and his best friend didn’t hesitate to walk around the counter and wrap him in one of the tightest hugs that he’d felt in a long while. He buried his face into Hunk’s shoulder and allowed the embrace to ground him.

“Lance,” Allura said. “What is this? Is this blood? Where did you get those clothes?”

“Sort of.” His voice was hoarse from all the screaming.

“What do you mean ‘sort of?’”

“It’s sort of blood,” Lance said which wasn’t an answer at all. “I’m fine, Allura.”

“This does not look 'fine,'” Allura said shakily.

Lance shrunk in on himself.

“This doesn't look ” Keith said. He was looking from the mess in the sink, to Lance's bloodied clothes to the mess on the floor. “What are you.”

“Of course, cryptid boy asks,” Lance mumbled. He stepped away from Hunk and let out a sigh.

“Cryptid boy?” Keith said. “Is that supposed to be a new insult?”

“Is everyone okay? I heard screams,” Shiro said from the door. He was wearing the same armour that Lance had been washing in the sink. Lance could see the moment that Shiro noticed the blood all over Lance, the counter and the floor. “Lance! Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay,” Lance said. His voice trembled but started to rise into an unnatural pitch again prompting most of the team to wince. “Shiro!”

“I’m right here, Lance,” Shiro said softly. “Let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?”

Lance allowed him to grab his bloodied wrists and pull him away from the sink. As he did so, the blood began to fade prompting gasps from his friends. Great. He’d been hoping that the mess would remain for a little longer. Hell, he’d been hoping to keep this a secret a bit longer too. Forever, if he could. Guess that wasn't in the cards anymore.

He looked up into Shiro’s worried eyes and felt the man brush his wrists softly. He shivered all over and began to come back to himself.

“It’s gone!” Allura said.

“It’s not possible,” Pidge said. She was white as a sheet and Lance felt awful for scaring her. “Lancewhat the hell!”

“I can explain,” Lance started.

“Can you explain that?” Pidge said. She gestured to him with a trembling hand.

Lance looked down. As the blood on his hands faded, the soft white linen outfit he’d been wearing faded back into his regular pyjamas complete with lion slippers.

“Everyone saw that, right?” Keith asked. “It wasn’t just me?”

“No, everyone saw that,” Shiro said grimly. “You weren’t seeing things.”

“I’m sorry that I interrupted everyone’s beauty sleep,” Lance said. The tears were still rolling down his cheeks. “I have a message to deliver first, then I’ll explain. Shiro, there’s no way to sugar coat this. You’re going to die in battle within the next day or so.”

“Lance, that’s a bit-”

“How can you say that?” Keith snapped. He rounded on Lance with a wild look in his eyes. “Why would you say that?”

Lance hiccupped.

“Lance!”

“Shiro, take a look in the sink,” Lance said.

Shiro peered into the sink along with the rest of the team. It was the black paladin armour alright, though unlike the current set he was wearing, this one was cracked and broken with a hole through the chest plate that looked suspiciously like a laser burn. Shiro tried to touch it, but his hand just passed through it.

“What is this?”

“It’s an old McClain family curse,” Lance said. “It skips generations sometimes, but I guess I wasn’t lucky. I’m a banshee.”

“But I thought banshees were only supposed to cry for the dead,” Keith said. “And were women who were dead themselves. How can you be?”

“The stories get that wrong, Mullet. They can cry for those about to die too,” Lance said. He quickly wiped away tears, but they just kept coming. He hiccoughed, and felt his chest try to heave into sobs again. “Especially if they are heroes. I’m _sorry_ , Shiro.”

“But I-I’m not. _Lance_ , the things I’ve done,” Shiro started.

“It’s not up to you. The universe says what it says,” Lance said. “And I can’t believe that’s the thing you fixated on.”

“There has to be a way to stop it,” Keith said, his voice cracking. “I won't lose Shiro again.”

Lance shook his head.

“There’s something else that we're overlooking. Shiro's died before. Why would this be happening now?” Pidge asked.

“Because this time, it’ll be permanent.”

“We just have to avoid the Galra for the next quintant or so,” Allura said. “We’ll go into hiding. You say this is fate, but we have to try.”

But there was only one way to derail Shiro’s fate. And he was always the extra one on the team anyways. Deep down, Lance had already begun planning.

*

In the end, they walked straight into an ambush.

Allura had decided that the best way to avoid Shiro’s death was constant movement. Lance watched from his station on the bridge, having been dozing on and off for the last little while. Most of the team was sprawled about around her in various states of exhaustion.

“Allura,” Lance said. “You need to stop.”

“If we stop, Shiro dies,” she said.

“You’re exhausted. I’m sure it’s fine now.” The words were acid on his tongue. “You need to rest.”

“Lance I've already told you-”

There was a flash of light and they were knocked off to the ground. There was a whine as the constant hum that accompanied castleship engines faded out.

“The lions,” Allura said numbly. Her hands slid from the pillars that she used to steer the ship. “We won’t be able to get to them. We're defenseless!”

Lance swore under his breath. What kind of limited design didn’t allow for them to manually reach their lions?

“Allura!” Coran’s voice came in over the intercom. “We’re being boarded. I’m sending it up on the screen now.”

“Allura,” Lance said slowly. “Where’s Shiro?”

“He went to the training room,” she said. “He wanted to work off some excess energy.”

Lance was on his feet and out the door to the training room, bayard in hand before he could hear Allura’s reply. The bayard morphed into a gun as he ran. The halls never seemed so large and long as they did right now. Why did he allow them to be separated? How naïve was he to think that this could only go on as a space battle with them in their lions as per usual? His eyes burned with unshed tears.

He skidded around the corner into a narrowed part of the hallway and crashed right into Shiro who caught him. Lance looked up into Shiro’s eyes, chest heaving more from panic than the exertion of running for his life. His grip tightened around Shiro for a moment, before he relaxed. Thank god he hadn’t been too late.  
  
“Lance, we’re going to regroup –” Shiro cut himself off as the sound of footsteps reached their ears.

In a matter of moments, both routes of their escape had been cut off by Galra. Lance stepped up until he stood side to side with Shiro, gun raised. He drew strength from Shiro’s solid presence behind him and bared his teeth at the Galra with such a fierce look that the leader of the pack faltered. Lance took advantage of the hesitation and fired mercilessly.

The Galra screamed as they went down. Beside him, Shiro activated his arm and threw himself into the fray. Lance had to prevent himself from reaching out to stop him. A feeling of inevitability began to build inside of him as if his very limbs were weighed down by the fate that was about to befall Shiro.

The sound of battle faded into the background as Lance shot the last Galra sentry that was in front of him and focused all of his attention on Shiro and- there! Shiro was locked into a battle with the leader of the group that had come after him. Off toward the corner, the remaining Galra slowly raised a gun and pointed it at Shiro.

Lance’s bayard fell from his numb fingers as he wove around Shiro and put his body in the line of fire between himself and Shiro. The shot hit him like a sharp, hot stab to the abdomen. He fell forward into the Galra as his ears began to ring and the buzzing intensified. He locked his fingers over the Galra’s forearms with a supernatural strength and looked directly into the Galra’s panicked eyes. The cold feeling of inevitability worsened.

He smiled, even as blood began to bubble past his lips.

“Your _eyes_ -” the soldier choked, terrified.

Huh. The part of Lance that wasn’t hyper-focused on the cold cement in his veins was amused to discover that Galra could pale just as dramatically as humans. He gave him a wicked smile. Funny that even Galra found black eyes without sclera terrifying.

The Galra struggled to free himself, but Lance’s grip tightened until the attacker’s bones audibly ground together.

The Galra hissed in pain, but Lance paid it no mind as he closed his eyes, letting his instinct guide him. The leaden feeling began to lift from his body and flowed down his veins and into his prisoner. The Galra shrieked and began to struggle as his skin began to wrinkle and muscles began to waste away. He died with a look of anguish on his face that startled Lance to his core.

The Galra slumped and Lance let him go to stare down at his trembling hands. And all at once, sight and sound returned to normal. The burning pain in his stomach reasserted itself and he let out a groan. His knees wobbled.

“Lance!”

Shiro, bless him, caught him before he hit the ground. He smiled dazedly up at him and reached up to touch his jaw with trembling fingers. “Shiro, you’re okay. ‘M so relieved. Love you.”

Shiro’s panicked eyes were the last thing he saw before he passed out.

*

Waking up in the healing pod will never be less jarring. Lance opened his eyes as awareness began to trickle into his body by inches. Air rushed in as the timer hit zero and the door opened. Strong arms caught him, and he let them hold him up for just a moment. He was so tired…

“Lance, you’re okay,” Shiro said.

“Shiro,” Lance said as his eyes filled with tears. His gamble had worked. Shiro was alive. “It worked. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

A hand tenderly cupped his jaw and lifts his head up to meet Shiro’s eyes. His thumb softly brushed the tears away as Lance trembled in his arms. Shiro smiled at him before leaning down and kissing him. Lance gasped and flailed a moment before wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck and leaning into the kiss as if he were starving for it. His heart soared and he squeezed a little tighter. To think, he'd come so close to never seeing this man again.

A throat cleared behind them and they broke apart. Lance leaned around Shiro to see the rest of the team watching them with varying expressions of amusement and relief on their faces. He found himself immediately swept up in a group hug.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” Hunk said.

“Me too.”

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Pidge whispered in his ear.

“What happened?” Lance asked when everyone released him. “The last thing I remember is passing out.”

“A rogue general by the name of Kerok caught us by surprise and invaded the castle.” Coran stroked his moustache. “We were able to fight them off and restore power to the engines. It was quite a sticky wicket for a while there.”

“Lance, I should have said this sooner, but I want you to know that we won’t treat you any differently because of what you are,” Allura said.

“It’s okay, Allura,” Lance said. “Afterall, we’re like family to each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> Prompt list: [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


	4. Shapeshifter (Sheith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is to graduate early and choose a familiar. Shiro thought he'd have more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always

October 4: Shapeshifter (kitsune)

  
“Shiro, I wanted to talk to you,” Keith said.

Shiro looked up from his inari. “What about?”

A flash of nervousness passed over Keith’s face and he set his fork down. “My professors have offered to let me take the exam early.”

“How early?”

“I’m going for my exam tomorrow. After that, I’ll be able to name a familiar for my partner.”

Shiro swallowed down the open pit of dread that threatened to engulf him and searched for the right words to say in this situation. He’d thought he’d have more time with him. They’d lived together since the start of Keith’s magical education. “Keith, that’s great. Choosing a familiar is a big deal and so is graduating early. I’m proud of you.”

“W-will you be home tomorrow night?” Keith asked.  
Shiro blinked. The stutter was new. Keith was turned away from him, but he could see how red his ears were under his messy hair. He mentally checked his work schedule.

“I’m working tomorrow.” Before Keith could slump in disappointment, he added, “Tomorrow is a slow night. I could probably get off early.”

“You can?” Keith asked hopefully. “It’s important.”

“Yes, absolutely,” Shiro promised. He made a mental note to beg Allura on hands and knees for permission to leave early.

Keith gave him a radiant smile that had Shiro’s poor heart tripping all over its chest. Keith probably wanted him home to meet his new familiar. It was only fair, since they’d be living with them.

“I’m going to go get some last-minute practice in,” Keith said. He got up and took his dish to the sink. “What’re you gonna do?”

‘Nothing’ was on the tip of Shiro’s tongue and then. “I’m going to go out for drinks with Matt.”

Keith snorted. “You’re going to work on your day off?”

“It’s the only tavern in town, Keith. It’s not like I can avoid it if I want a drink,” Shiro said.

Keith came around the table and gently squeezed his shoulder. Shiro closed his eyes and took a moment to relish the warmth of him and his touch.

“Say hi to Matt for me,” Keith said.

“Will do.”

He waited until Keith had left the room before scraping the rest of his meal into the trash. He needed to bemoan his fate to a willing ear that wasn’t Keith’s. He slipped out the door and closed his eyes. Moments later, a little black fox with a tuft of white hair darted down the street.

  
*

  
Shiro scratched at the door and let out a whine. There was a sound of rustling and Matt opened the door. His clothing was rumpled, as if he’d been asleep before Shiro had started whining to be let in.

“Shiro?” Matt crouched down and stroked a little behind his ear. Shiro leaned into the touch. “This is about Keith again, isn’t it?”

Shiro let out a sharp yap and then shifted back into his human form.

Matt jumped and laughed.

“How can that possibly still make you jump?” Shiro asked, exasperated. “Your sister does the same thing.”

“It’s because Pidge likes to use her transformations to scare me that it makes me jump when you do it,” Matt said. “Now what could possibly be troubling you, Shirokins?”

“It’s Keith,” Shiro sighed.

“I know that. What is it about Keith?”

“His exam’s been pushed up.”

“Pfft that’s not a surprise. Your boy is a genius when it comes to spellcasting,” Matt said. “How soon?”

“Tomorrow,” Shiro said.

“Let me get my coat. You need a drink.”

“But-”

“I’m buying, Shiro.”

Matt grabbed his things and slipped his shoes on. They stepped back out into the street and Matt took a moment to wave his hand over the door knob to lock it. Shiro raised an eyebrow.

“Lost your keys again?”

“That’s enough out of you, unless you want your free drinks revoked,” Matt said. “C’mon.”

They walked in comfortable silence. Shiro stuck his hands in his pockets to ward off the evening chill. The tavern was practically a stone’s throw away from Matt’s house and Shiro had spent many a day hanging out with Matt before heading out for a shift.

The pub was loud and crowded and they ended up having to push past some people in order to get to the bar. Shiro slumped on the nearest available barstool while Matt ordered the first round.

“I’m going to lose him, Matt,” Shiro said.

“Shiro, the man loves you. He’s not going to leave you just because he’s got a familiar now,” Matt said. “I know they’re important, but it’s not like you’ll stop being his brother.”

Allura herself came over and dropped to beers before them. “Shiro, are you alright?”

Shiro straightened up as much as possible and gave her a smile. “I’m fine, Allura. No need to worry about me.”

He saw Matt gesturing at him and mouthing ‘I’ll take care of him’ out of the corner of his eye and glared at him. Matt smiled back at him unrepentantly. He pushed one of the beers over to Shiro.

“Drink up. Tell Ol’ Matt what troubles you this evening.”

“You’re not old,” Shiro said. “I’m older than you and I’m not old. You can’t be old.”

“Sorry, buddy. You’ve got to face the facts.” He reached out and flicked Shiro’s hair floof. “See? You even have the hair to match.”

“I’m-” Shiro sighed. “I’m really going to miss him, Matt.”

“I know,” Matt said heavily.

Several drinks later, Shiro was three sheets to the wind.

“He’s like a brother to me,” Shiro wailed, burying his face into his arms. “I mean, I thought I had another year before I had to worry about this, but ‘e’s so good at magic and they’re graduating him early. Early, Matt!”

“Take it from someone who knows you better than you know yourself,” Matt slung his arm across Shiro’s shoulder in a sort of half hug. “You’re way too broken up about this for it to just be a ‘brother’ thing. Especially when you take into account that most familiars are partners in both the magical and romantic way.”

“Matt, you wanna know a secret?” Shiro whispered super loudly into his ear.

“It is that you love Keith?”

Shiro was suitably impressed with Matt’s mindreading abilities. “Like so much. Holy shit, Matt. He’s so hot with his – ” At this, Shiro gestured at his hair. “Thing.”

“His mullet?”

“Wanna kiss him so badly,” Shiro sighed. “But he won’t have me.”

“I’ve seen the way that he looks at you, Shiro. You have more of a chance than you think,” Matt said. He paused. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to reason with drunk you.”

Shiro squinted at him fuzzily. “Maybe I just felt like a change and getting smashed in a bar for once. Why you gotta judge? I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“And that wasn’t remotely related to what we were talking about,” Matt said. He flagged Allura down for the bill. “You’re cut off, Shiro dear.”

“Fine,” Shiro muttered. “But I’ll remember this.”

“Hmm, I hope so,” Matt said as they made their way out onto the street. “We’ve made some real progress on the denial front. Try not to forget that it was me, the one and only Matthew ‘Go Get Some’ Holt, that convinced you to tap that ass.”

Shiro’s only reply was to throw up in some bushes.

*

As promised, Shiro got home relatively early the next evening. The side effects of his hangover had blessedly eased before his shift, but the pit in his stomach was deeper than it had ever been. Keith was standing in the kitchen wringing his hands nervously. Shiro looked around and couldn’t help but wonder if he was seeing things.

“How did the exam go?”

At this, Keith smiled, but it was more of a grimace “Great. I passed with the highest score.”

“Are you okay? You don’t seem too excited about it,” Shiro said. “Where’s your familiar? I thought you’d bring them home today.”

“Shiro, I need to ask you something,” Keith said.  
He ducked his head so that his bangs hid his eyes, a gesture that Shiro thought Keith had outgrown years ago. Shiro was stepping forward before he thought better of it. He reached out and brushed Keith’s bangs out of his eyes, causing the witch to look up at him.

“What is it?”

Keith searched his face for a moment, and whatever he was looking for, he must have found because he relaxed a little and straightened. “Shiro, be my familiar?”

“W-What?”

“It’s just, I met so many familiars during my time at the academy and every time I thought of taking one of them as my partner, I’d think of you,” Keith said in a rush. “I want you so badly and I know you only think of me as a brother, but I feel like I had to tell you.”

Shiro’s hand trembled as it slipped down to cup Keith’s jaw. Keith leaned into his touch and looked up at him with scared eyes.

“Keith, yes. Yes, I’ll be your partner,” Shiro said. “How could I give any other answer?”

Keith let out a relieved sigh and gave him a smile that filled Shiro with warmth. He leaned forward and up and Shiro swooped down to meet him half way. Keith melted against him as they kissed and Shiro wrapped his arms around him to try to pull him impossibly closer.

No matter what lay ahead in their future, one thing was for certain.

Shiro was never letting him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)  
>     
> Based on this prompt list: [October Creature Month](https://deathbystorm.tumblr.com/post/178623163201/october-creature-challenge)


	5. Satyr (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We must perform the orgy of sealing!”
> 
> Lance didn’t now whether to laugh or cry. He glanced around the table. Pidge and Hunk looked just like he felt, amusement mixed with horrified amazement. Shiro, being Shiro, was able to keep a straight face, the asshole. 
> 
> Keith stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “You want us to what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always. All remaining mistakes are my own.

Satyr

“We thank the representatives of the Voltron alliance for allowing us to join their pact. Now, there is only one thing left to do,” Areis said.  With his goat legs, and small horns, he looked quite similar to [Mr. Tumnus](http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Tumnus) from the Narnia books that Veronica had read to him as kid. There was a manic flush to his cheeks that made Lance’s stomach feel a bit queasy. “We must perform the orgy of sealing!”

Lance didn’t now whether to laugh or cry. He glanced around the table. Pidge and Hunk looked just like he felt, amused and horrified. Shiro, being Shiro, was able to keep a straight face, the asshole.

Keith stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “You want us to what?”

“We’re glad you’re so eager, Red paladin,” the satyr chirruped. “We can see that you could use the relaxation almost as much as the black paladin does.”

“I’m not-”

“We thank you for your hospitality, Areis,” Allura cut Keith off with practiced ease. Lance couldn’t help but admire her ability to keep her composure in this situation. “However, a good orgy takes time and we have matters to attend to elsewhere. I’m afraid we will have to decline at this juncture. I hope that this will not impede our alliance in any way.”

“Of course,” Areis said though his ears drooped in disappointment. “You all don’t know what you’re missing. If you ever need a place to really let loose and relax, feel free to visit us again in an unofficial capacity. We’ll take care of you.”

Lance picked up the wine and took a sip to hide his grimace.

“Oh, and as you’re not staying for the celebratory orgy, please don’t drink the wine. It’s an aphrodisiac.”

Lance choked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell about Voltron with me on [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Based on this prompt list: [October Creature Month](https://deathbystorm.tumblr.com/post/178623163201/october-creature-challenge)


	6. Genie/Jinn (pre-slash Sheith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 Genie/Jinn
> 
> Keith, a member of the lowest caste of society, comes across an enchanted lamp. He quickly decides that the best thing he can do is to try to free the genie trapped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always.

  


Genie/Jinn

Keith was rummaging through the trash.

It was well known that the best stuff always came from the houses of the gold caste. The trick though was not to get caught. The safest time was around dinner time, when most people would be inside enjoying a meal with their families. Doubly so, considering the brand on his forehead marking him as a member of the red caste, the lowest of them all. It was cooler too, which was good for Keith, who stuck out like a sore thumb around here with his fair skin that burned easily in the hot desert sun.

Pickings were slim tonight. There were no good pieces of cloth to sell, nor were there any scraps of food for his dinner, or metal for the smithy down the road. He sighed and leaned back on his heels as his stomach growled. It was likely that others had already been through here and had gotten all of the good stuff. It was one of the disadvantages of coming during the safer times. Sometimes the best stuff was already gone.

He put everything back as neatly as he’d found it so as not to arouse suspicion and had turned to walk away when a glint caught the corner of his eye. He stopped and set his basket to the side. He brushed away the debris and unearthed the curve of a pot. Jackpot. He grinned and gently removed it from the rubble. It was filthy, but Keith could see the golden metal underneath. He slipped it into his rucksack and hurried home, eager to avoid running into anyone with his new treasure.

*

It was dark by the time he slipped into his little room.

He set the basket down and reminded himself to be patient as he pulled some stale bread out for his dinner. He munched on it thoughtfully as he stared at the lamp. The bread was dry and sucked the moisture out of his mouth as he chewed. Oh, how nice it would be to treat himself to fresh bread for once. Keith’s mouth always watered when he walked by the bakery a few streets over. It was in a neighbourhood that was home to a slightly higher caste than the one that he currently resided in.

Once he’d finished eating, he could help himself no longer. He leaned over and began to gently clean off the dirt and trash around the pot. It was golden just as the first glints promised and extremely heavy in his hands. He rubbed a little more vigorously.

“Ow!” He yelped and dropped it when the lamp suddenly became hot to the touch. It rolled on the dirty floor and up into a sitting position as if instead of dropping it, he had placed it on the ground with the utmost care.

He scowled at it and stuck his burnt fingers in his mouth to soothe the pain. Maybe it was cursed. He reached out again and gently brushed his fingers against it. The metal was cool to the touch once more.

“Definitely cursed,” he muttered. His fingers skimmed the rim of the lid as he withdrew his hand.

It began to shine in the darkness. Keith blinked, thinking initially that it was a trick of the light, but no, it was actually glowing. Shit, he needed to take it out of here. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to his very nosey landlady why he had a cursed object in his room. He grabbed the couple of rags that he’d managed to salvage earlier that day and wrapped his hands before picking up the lamp.

It began to vibrate in his hands and shook so hard that it slipped from his fingers and clanged on the floor. The lid popped off and a blinding white light filled the room. Keith stumbled back covering his eyes as it tried to burn itself into his retinas. Slowly, the light faded, leaving a soft purple glow in its place. He blinked and then blanched. A genie was standing in front of him. He was large enough that he had to duck slightly because of the low ceiling. A rather beautiful half naked genie, if Keith did say so himself even with the scars all over his body.

“Who’re you?”

The genie put one massive hand to his chest and bowed, chains jingling as he did so. “I’m Takashi Shirogane, the genie of this lamp cursed to serve the one who unlocks the power of the lamp. You must be worthy indeed in order to do so. Might I know the name of my new master?”

“Master?” Keith said. “I’m no one’s master. I wouldn’t want to be.”

The genie studied him with an assessing look in his eyes. “Yet it must be so.”

“Let me rephrase that. I don’t want to be your master,” Keith said. “Because that makes you my slave and I can’t stand the thought.”

The genie gave him a surprised look. “But you get three wishes. They could be anything you want.”

Keith reached forward and gently touched the chains encircling the genie’s massive wrists. The genie flinched, and Keith imediately let go. The skin around them had deep scars as if the genie had struggled again and again past all reason to free himself. These were echoed with the deep scarring on his chest and across his face.

“Who did this to you?” Keith said softly. He reached up and stopped just short of touching the deep scar that crossed the bridge of Shiro’s nose. The genie leaned forward so that Keith’s hand was touching his face and then closed his eyes as a great shudder went through him.

“Oh, you know, a master here and there,” Shiro said eventually, pulling away.

“How do I free you?” Keith asked. “Do you know?”

The genie immediately tensed up and stared down at Keith warily. The chains jangled and he looked away.

“I've had other masters promise me the same thing,” Shiro said. There were was a weariness in his eyes that was more human than anything. “None of them have ever meant it.”

“Fine! I'll wish you free right now then,” Keith said. “I wish-mmph!”

Shiro's hand immediately covered his mouth. Keith pulled back. “What the hell, Shiro?”

“You can't do it that way,” Shiro said quietly.

“What do you mean I can't?”  
  
“It doesn't work that way.”

“I’ve been a street rat all of my life,” Keith said. He looked up at the massive Jinn in front of him. “I’ve had people use me, abuse me, and take things from me that I can never get back all because of a mark on my forehead that somehow makes me less of a person than them. In the face of that, how can I hurt someone else the same way I’ve been hurt? Why would you stop me from helping you?”

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise, and his face softened. “I see that you're serious about this.”

“Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you,” Keith said.

“You must do two things,” Shiro said. “The first is to find an alchemist. He will need to free to break the curse on the lamp. It was laid by a powerful witch after I escaped her grasp long ago. The second is to wish me free. They have to be done in that order, or the curse will rebound on both of us.”

“I know of an alchemist in the city,” Keith said quietly. “He’s a good-hearted man and may be able to break the spell.”

Hope shone on the genie’s face for a split second before his expression dropped back in to a world weary one. “You’d do that for me?”

Keith nodded. “Of course. I’ll take you to him in the morning.”

*

The sun shone through the windows, rousing Keith from his slumber. He yawned, stretched, and then yelped in surprise at the purple light in the corner. He was out of bed with his knife in his hand before his mind had properly registered what the threat was.

“Keith, it’s just me. Shiro,” the genie put up his hands in a placating manner.

“Oh right. Sorry,” Keith tucked the knife away with a sheepish look. “Are you able to go back in the lamp? We’ll need to be as inconspicuous as possible.”

Shiro looked down at himself with a rueful air. “I supposed I can’t consider myself subtle.”

Keith laughed softy as he tucked his knife in his belt and stood up. “No, you can’t.”

“I could help you,” Shiro said suddenly. “If you make a wish, your life could be so much better than this.”

Keith looked at him and said, “You deserve your freedom more. You can help me after I help you.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Keith said. “You deserve your freedom before anything. Did you think I'd change my mind?”

“No one’s… tried to free me before,” Shiro said. Keith turned to him and was surprised at the emotion displayed on the genie’s face. “I’ve had them promise me, but they always want wishes and I have no choice but to grant them. Keith, thank you.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Keith said. “We still need to see that alchemist and think of a way to pay him.”

“That I could help with.”

“Only if it’s necessary. The alchemist is a very popular man, so we’ll need to hurry if we want to see him today.”

“Ah I’ll just – ” Shiro gestured to the lamp.

“Yeah that’d probably be a good idea.”

Shiro smiled at him as he began to dissolve into purple smoke that was quickly slurped up by the lamp. The last thing to go was his kind eyes. Keith wrapped the lamp in a rag so as not to rub it accidentally. He set it in his basket and slipped out his door.

The sun was blinding and the streets already bustling as he made his way down to the marketplace. He dove and weaved his way through the crowds of people, past the usual place that he sold his rags and into a slightly more upscale district.

The signs were painted and wooden, despite the expense and swung in the breeze. He rounded the corner of an apothecary and- there!

“You there!” A hand clapped down heavily on his shoulder. “What do you have there?”

“Rags to sell to the cloth merchant,” Keith replied.

“Oh? I’ve seen you around here before. You know that the cloth merchant is the other way from here.”

Oh great. Just what he needed. An intelligent guard.

“I swear to you I just took a wrong turn.”

“A likely story,” the man said. “The Yara family was robbed last night. They had one of their most precious possessions stolen from them.”

Keith froze, and ice flooded his veins. He tightened his grip on the handle of his bag. That was one of the houses that he’d checked last night. In fact, he was sure that was one of the ones that he’d hit last night searching for stuff to sell.

“I’ve been told to search and arrest anyone suspicious,” the guard leaned forward. His eyes flicked up to his forehead. “And you’re suspicious.”

Keith instinctively pulled away and the guard reached forward and tried to grab him by the arm. Keith turned and fled, his feet pounding down the street as he dodged and weaved his way through the crowds.

“Stop! Thief!”

Keith skidded under some grasping hands on his knees and continued to run. He was in a part of the district that was a little less familiar to him and he could hear the sounds of pursuit behind him. He took the first turn that he came to, hoping that if he got off the main road, he would be safer. He took another turn blindly and hit a dead end.

“Damn!” he said.

He turned and saw the shadows of several soldiers walking through the entrance of the alleyway that he’d inadvertently gotten himself- and Shiro by extension - trapped in.

There was a nudge in his mind and a warmth at his back. Keith shook his head and pulled out his knife as the men came closer. He forced himself to relax and dropped into the fighting stance that had been taught to him long ago in happier times. He set the bag down gently behind him and smirked at the three guards advancing on him.

The first one drew his sword and advanced on him. He tightened his grip on his knife and didn’t hesitate, attacking first. Keith jumped back and moved out of the way, avoiding the sword with the grace of an experienced fighter. The soldier swore and raised his weapon once more. Keith rushed him. The man swung his sword, but Keith was too close, and he drove the knife into the man’s kidney. The man doubled over with a moan of pain and fell to his knees. Keith kicked the sword out of his way from where he dropped it just to be safe.

The other two soldiers looked at each other and charged him. They each took him by the shoulder and forced him down to the ground. He fought them every inch of the way with a snarl on his face. The warmth prodded at the back of his head again hard, and as he was forcefully turned over onto his stomach, he finally gave in.  
  
“I wish these soldiers would go away and forget they ever saw me,” Keith whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” goon on the left said.

Keith smiled grimly as purple smoke filled the alleyway.

“Your wish is my command,” came a familiar voice in his ear. And suddenly, Keith was free.

The soldiers had a glazed look on their faces and as Keith watched, they looked at each other with vacant looks in their eyes.  
  
“I didn’t see anything,” said one in a monotone.

“Neither did I,” said the other. “Let’s get our mysteriously injured friend Phil out of here and never speak of this alleyway again.”

“Sounds perfectly normal and not suspicious in the least,” the first one said.

They hauled Phil to his feet, ignoring his moans of pain and then swayed drunkenly out of the alleyway.

“What the-” Keith said.

Shiro chuckled, “Well, I’ve got to have a little fun, don’t I?”

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome,” Shiro murmured. Keith looked up and saw the genie looking down at him with a soft expression on his face. “I saw the way you were able to fight off that guard. You are truly a remarkable human, Keith.”

To his horror, Keith felt his cheeks heat up. He covered it up by hastily looking away. “I used to want to be in the royal guard when I was younger and before I learned that was impossible because of my caste.”

Shiro smiled. “Do you still want to be?”

“Of course. More than anything,” Keith said. “I know what you’re going to say, that I should just wish to be, but I need to get there on my own merits and not just because I got a free pass. No matter how hard that is right now.”

“Keith, for what it’s worth, I believe that you’ll make it there one day,” Shiro said. “They need people like you.”

“And you’re not so bad for a genie.”

“How many genies have you met?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith said. “I only need to know the one.”

To Keith’s gratification, Shiro’s flushed cheeks were the last thing to disappear as he faded back into the lamp.

Keith waited a little while longer. Then, he gently wrapped up Shiro’s lamp and stuck it back in his rucksack. He peeked around the corner of the alleyway. He smiled. The coast was clear. He slipped out of the alleyway and back on the way to the most famous alchemist in the city.

*

There was a tinkling sound as Keith pushed open the door of the shop. The scent of incense immediately wrapped around him, forcing him to relax. Even the constant maelstrom of worry at the back of his mind was quiet.

It was later now, but the shop was emptier than he’d expect for this time of day. The alchemist himself came around the corner. He was a hefty man with a square jaw and kind eyes that reminded him of Shiro’s. Around his head, was an orange bandana keeping his longish hair out of his face.

“We’re closed for the midday hour,” the man said kindly. “Is this an emergency?”

It was midday? Keith didn’t realize that it was that late already. His detour must have taken longer than he’d thought.

“Yes,” Keith said. He cradled his rucksack in front of him in a protective manner. “I need to see if you can break a spell for me.”

“I’m Hunk,” the man said. “I run this shop along with my partner, Shay. What is the nature of the spell?”

“It’s better if I show it to you,” Keith said slowly. “Is there a way we can go to the back where we’re out of the sight of the windows?”

Hunk stared at him hard for a second. Keith saw a flicker of light cross Hunk’s eyes before he nodded. “Yeah man, of course. Come to the back of my shop and we can have a look.”

Keith ducked some dried herbs as he followed Hunk. He couldn’t help but hope that the reputation that the man held was true. He clutched the bundle that Shiro was in a little tighter. He didn’t want Shiro to suffer any more than he already had.

Hunk caught the conflicted look on his face. “It’s okay. I’m here to help. You can place the object on the table.”

Keith took in the worn table in front of him, the various knickknacks lining the walls of the room, likely used in alchemy in some capacity and then looked at Hunk’s warm eyes.

He set the rucksack on the table and carefully pulled out the cloth wrapped lamp.

“It’s nothing suspicious,” Keith said when he caught Hunk’s worried look. “I just didn’t have anything to wrap him in.”

“’Him?’” Hunk said doubtfully eyeing the bundle. “And in my experience when someone says that there is nothing suspicious, it’s usually extremely suspicious.”

“I see your point,” Keith said. He pulled the cloth off and gently set the lamp on the table proper.

“Is this what I think it is?” Hunk said slowly. “You want me to break a genie’s curse.”

“Can it be done?”

Hunk nodded, but he was frowning. “It can be, but I’ll need to know more before I commit. Can you call him out?”

Keith picked up the lamp and gently rubbed it. Almost immediately, the room was filled with billowing smoke. Hunk made an impressed noise as the smoke solidified into Shiro’s body. Shiro stepped forward and knelt in front of Keith.

“You called for me?”

Keith nodded. “This is Hunk. He’s the alchemist that I was talking about. Hunk, this is Shiro.”

Shiro nodded at him.

Hunk took a deep breath. “Do you know the name of the person who did this to you?”

“Haggar,” Shiro said. “She did this to me.”  
  
“Except for those,” Keith gestured towards the deep scars on Shiro’s chest. “They were done by his former masters.”

The alchemist didn’t reply. A shiver ran up Keith’s spine and his heart sank. Haggar was by far the most powerful witch in the land. How on earth were they going to break the spell that bound Shiro to the lamp? Keith could see the conflicted and guilty look on Hunk’s face. He braced himself for the inevitable disappointment.

“There was a time that I wouldn’t have crossed Lady Haggar in a million years,” Hunk said. There was a small, nostalgic smile on his face. “I was weak, and she was so much more powerful than me. It was best to lay low. And then I met Shay.”

“So, you’ll help us?” Keith said. “You’ll help Shiro?”

Hunk nodded. “I’ll help you. Thankfully, Haggar’s true name is known as well well-known.”

Abruptly, Hunk walked over to the nearest wall. His hands shook as he began to open various cupboards. One of the bottles in the cupboard tumbled free and shattered on the ground. Hunk swore and jumped back as the liquid began eating into the wood. He chuckled nervously.

“That has nothing to do with my skills, I promise you,” he said. “Shiro, I don’t think you were a genie originally.”

“I’m not?” Shiro had a lost look on his face. “I don’t remember anything besides being this way.”

Hunk hummed. “Haggar is fond of her experiments. And besides, the way you let a genie go is by wishing them free which is common knowledge. That you came looking for me means that there’s something more here. Ah and just one moment.”

Hunk walked to the front of his shop. Keith peered around the corner and watched as he flipped the sign from ‘open’ to ‘closed.’

Little tremors raced up and down Shiro’s body and Keith hesitantly extended his hand out towards him, wanting to comfort him, but not exactly sure how. Shiro grabbed his hand and squeezed, before looking up at him with wet eyes.

“Hey no,” Keith said.

“I don’t know what I am,” Shiro tilted his head down until his floof of hair covered his eyes. “Keith, I don’t know what I am.”

“I’m no good at comforting people,” Keith said.

Shiro’s chest heaved as he began to hyperventilate. The shackles around his wrists began to glow and Shiro grunted in pain as the skin around them began to bubble. The smell of burning flesh filled the room.

“Shiro. Shiro, you’ve got to calm down,” Keith said.

“He’s having a panic attack,” Hunk said behind him. There was a measured sense of calm in his voice, a stark difference to the nervous tone that he’d had up until that moment. “Take his hand and put it on your chest.”

Keith tugged the genie’s hand toward him and pushed it onto his chest. He had a thought for the moment that this creature could easily crush him and that he was putting himself utterly at its mercy. No. Shiro wouldn’t do that.

“No, over your heart,” Hunk said. “And now just breathe in deep, slow breaths. Shiro, I’m going to need you to match Keith’s breathing for me.”

Keith did as he was told. Shiro’s skin was surprisingly cold under his touch. He squeezed Shiro’s hand as best he could. Inch by inch, he began to calm down.

“Good,” Hunk said a few minutes later. He’d busied himself on the bench behind them while Keith took care of Shiro. He held out a tube of opaque greenish liquid and Shiro let go of Keith’s hand in order to accept it. Keith ignored the pang of disappointment at having his hand back to himself. “I’ll need you to take this so that we can figure out what you are.”

Shiro grimaced at the sight of it, but gamely knocked it back. He coughed a little at the taste, but handed the tube back to Hunk, who swapped it out with a clean tube. “I’ll need you to spit in that for me.”

Shiro spat into the tube obediently.

Hunk hummed a little to fill the silence as he quickly poured liquids from a few different bottles, and then lit a small flame on the Bunsen burner sitting on the table and swirled the mixture around in the tube. Keith watched in open amazement as the liquid in the tube, turned a translucent red colour.

“Hmm,” Hunk said.

“What is it?” Keith burst out.

“Shiro’s human.”

Keith looked at the giant, hulking purple white genie who still didn’t look human at all. Shiro was staring at his hands as if it was the first time he’d ever seen them.

“Are you sure?” Shiro said. “I can’t imagine being anything other than what I am.”

“I’m like one hundred percent positive that you’re human,” Hunk replied. “If I break the spell, you should get some of your memories back.”

Shiro turned to both Keith and Hunk.

“I have to pay you somehow,” he said. “Ask for anything you wish. I’ll grant it.”

“Shiro, I already told you that I’m not going to do that,” Keith said. “I’m doing this because it’s right.”

Hunk shook his head. “No point trying to convince me man,” he said. “My wife opened my eyes to this kind of thing years ago. I’m not going to charge you anything.”

“You mentioned that you wanted to be a guard,” Shiro said desperately.

“Yes, but the caste system, Shiro,” Keith said. “Reds are the lowest. Why do you think I pick through the trash every evening?”

“What if they weren’t?” Shiro said. “What if we get rid of the caste system altogether? If I’m human, that means that I have one of those tattoos as well. I certainly don’t want to trade one enforced role for another.”

“But-“ Keith said.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Shiro said. “You wouldn’t just be helping yourself. You’d be helping everyone like you. You’d be helping me.”

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay, he said. “You’ve made your point.”

“Then?”

“I wish that from this moment forward, the caste system no longer exists in any form,” Keith said.

Shiro bowed with a smile. “Your wish is my command.”

He snapped his fingers. Keith felt a tingling on his forehead and scratched it. The brand on Hunk’s forehead had begun to fade.

“Hunk, is it?”

“Yeah, man. It’s fading,” Hunk said. He was smiling.

Keith turned to Shiro and did his best to throw his arms around the genie’s waist. “Thank you.”

Shiro smiled down at him and wrapped his arms around Keith in return. “It was my pleasure.”

Hunk cleared his throat tactfully behind them. Keith felt his cheeks heat up as he let go of Shiro.

“So Shiro can be freed now?”

“Yes,” Hunk said. “I know just the thing. Shiro, I have to warn you before we do this. This is a dangerous spell. It’s going to hurt. You might not come out of it at all.”

“I’d rather die than be stuck like this forever,” Shiro said. “What do we have to do?”

“Freeing you is actually pretty simple,” Hunk said.

He pulled open one of the drawers on his work bench and pulled out a small stone. It glinted in the light as Hunk rolled it between his fingers.

“This is a bezoar. A stone from the stomach of a goat. It has been used as an antidote for poisons and can also be used to counteract some kinds of dark magic.”

Hunk handed it over to Shiro, who hefted it in the palm of his hand with an uncertain look on his face.

“What do I do with it?”

“You stick it in your mouth and suck it,” Hunk said. “It's crude, but effective. Keith, the moment he starts vomiting, you’re going to wish him free.”

“No problem,” Keith said. He put his hand on the genie’s side. “Whenever you’re ready, Shiro.”

Shiro smiled grimly and held it up to them as if he was proposing a toast. Then, he jammed it in his mouth with all the care of a small toddler. He wrinkled his nose at the taste of it and almost immediately began to cough. The bezoar stayed in his mouth as if it was glued to his palate. The coughs quickly grew stronger. They were great, gasping things that forced Shiro to double over. Keith and Hunk moved out of the way as he fell to his hands and knees. There was a cracking noise and he began to dry heave.

“Here it comes, Keith,” Hunk warned him.

“I know!” Keith snapped as he watched Shiro worriedly.

As if on cue, Shiro began to throw up a glowing purple stringy substance. Black lines began to etch themselves up and down Shiro’s body as if his skin were straight up cracking. Shiro let out a beleaguered moan and fixed his eyes on Keith.

“I wish that Shiro was free,” Keith said.

‘Thank you,’ Shiro mouthed. He let out a high-pitched keen of pain that sent shivers running up Keith’s spine as his skin began to fall off in great, glowing chunks. They fell to the floor and splintered into fragments of light, before winking out of existence altogether revealing pale skin and a much smaller body. Shiro collapsed.

Keith tried to rush forward, but Hunk held out his hand. “Wait just a sec.”

Keith froze and just stared at Shiro’s crumpled body on the floor. There was another flash of light and Shiro’s right arm began to shimmer as well. In another flash of light, it vanished leaving a stump and scarring around the area that the arm use to be.

Keith was over at Shiro’s side the moment that Hunk let him go. He knelt beside the man and brushed his fingers through his floof of hair. Even streaked with sweat, the hair was soft to the touch and Keith had to resist the urge to just keep running his fingers through it. Keith frowned. There was something familiar about Shiro that he hadn’t noticed before. He’d seen Shiro somewhere before all of this had happened. He didn’t know why he was just seeing it now.

Shiro groaned and opened his eyes. “Is it over?”

“Yeah, you did it,” Hunk said.

Shiro rasped out a laugh and slowly sat up with Keith’s help. “Oh man I need to sleep for a thousand years.”

Ah. Keith knew what it was. He was staring at the nameless Champion whose battles had been broadcast on television. He’d been born in the black caste, doomed to fight for the entertainment of others. He shook his head and reminded himself that the caste system didn’t exist anymore. It didn’t matter anyway. If he was getting a new lease on life, Shiro sure as hell deserved it. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed it before.

“Has anything come back?” Hunk said. His eyes were narrowed as if he was trying to figure something out.

“A-an arena,” Shiro said. “It’s too painful to think about yet.”

“Ah that might take a while,” Hunk said. “You should have more come back every day, but you’ll need to let it happen. Do you hurt anywhere in particular?”

“Just all over,” Shiro replied. “Like I’ve been scraped raw.”

“I’ll take him home for now,” Keith said. “Thank you so much for what you’ve done today.”

“No problem man,” Hunk clapped Keith on the shoulder. “If anything else comes up, come back here and I’ll help you.”

“I’m staying with you?” Shiro murmured in Keith’s ear as Keith slung one of his arm over his shoulder.

“Unless you’d want to stay somewhere else?”

Shiro leaned on him and smiled with his eyes closed. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that there are a few loose ends still for this fic. I will likely be using another of the promps on the list to do a sequel where we explore a bit more of Shiro's story and get proper closure. This was just getting too long lol. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> Based on this prompt list: [October Creature Month](https://deathbystorm.tumblr.com/post/178623163201/october-creature-challenge)


	7. Changeling (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 Changeling
> 
> And even then, he could have sworn that sometimes out of the corner of his eye, Shiro’s own eyes would glow yellow. It was only ever for a split second, so quickly that if it had only happened once or twice, he would have thought he was seeing things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always. All remaining mistakes are my own.

October 7: Changeling.

Shiro had been acting weird lately.

Well, to be clear, Keith thought he’d been acting weird since he’d rescued him. The strangely long hair, the missing memories, the lines of pain that even now were etched around his eyes told a story that Keith resolutely ignored. Really, he was relieved to have him back in any form, though he wished that Shiro hadn’t had to go through what he did to get back to them.

Shiro had pulled himself together after his ordeal, however. At least where the other paladins could see him. Now though, it was late at night. Shiro was sitting on the common room couch with his head in his hands.

“Shiro?”

There was no response him. Keith frowned. This was the third time in the last week that he’d caught Shiro spacing out in a random place during his own restless nights. To be fair, he’d gone looking for him this time though.

Keith came around the couch and set down the glass of water and pills that he’d been carrying.

He crouched down in front of Shiro, and just out of reach in case he lashed out.

“Shiro, are you okay?”

Shiro flinched and some of the blankness left his face. He gave Keith a small smile. “Y-yeah. I must have just zoned out there.”

“I brought some water and some pain killers in case your head’s still bothering you.”

“Yes, it is. Thank you, Keith. You always know how to help me.”

“Any time, Shiro,” Keith said.

Shiro quickly swallowed the pills and knocked back much of the glass of water.

And yet, there was this divide between them that hadn’t been there before. They still went through the motions. Shiro gave advice, even if he was a backseat black paladin sometimes though Keith knew that was because he missed the field. There were awkward pauses in their conversations and Keith felt _trapped_ like being around Shiro was suffocating for him in some way.

And even then, he could have sworn that sometimes out of the corner of his eye, Shiro’s own eyes would glow yellow. It was only ever for a split second, so quickly that if it had only happened once or twice, he would have thought he was seeing things. There was a name that he’d come across in all of the research that he’d conducted looking for Shiro.

“Something on your mind, Keith?”  
  
Keith snapped out of his reverie. Ah. There was that kind smile of Shiro’s that never failed to reassure him.

“I’m thinking of focusing more on my Blade missions,” Keith said quietly.

“Keith, you can’t. You’re needed to form Voltron,” Shiro said.

“Shiro, you and I both know that you can easily fill that role,” Keith replied.

“Keith…”

“You only sat in the lion for, like, two minutes. Who knows what would happen if you really tried reaching out to Black?”

“Keith we’ve all got to accept our roles in this war,” Shiro said. Or, a Shiro at least.

“I suppose,” Keith said. “Hey, remember the day we met?”

“How could I forget?” Shiro said warmly. “You stole my car.”

Keith smiled tiredly. “Try to get some rest, Shiro.”

He paused outside the common room door. Ah, that was what Shiro reminded him of. A changeling.

But it couldn’t be. Could it?

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
>  
> 
> Based on this prompt list: [October Creature Month](https://deathbystorm.tumblr.com/post/178623163201/october-creature-challenge)


	8. Pheonix (Shunk preslash)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk is attacked by some poachers while out gathering herbs. Thankfully, the guardian spirit of the forest is there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing this. All remaining mistakes are my own.

Day 8 Pheonix (Shunk)

 

The sound of shouting disrupted Hunk’s gathering of herbs. The bellflowers stopped their tinkling and began to close.

“C’mon, I specifically came here to avoid this,” he muttered and set the bellflowers he’d not put away in his preservation bag on the ground. With all of the commotion, they were useless anyways.

He debated with himself. Should he interfere? It sounded like there was quite a scuffle going on a little ways away. The clatter of steel and loud cursing reached his ears. He looked down at his bag. He guessed that he would have enough to at least treat the innkeeper’s sick daughter. That was it. Matter decided. He was a healer, not a fighter. Best leave the fighting to people who loved violence. He slung his rucksack over his shoulder.

The sound of tinkling bells, very similar to the bellflowers reached his ears. He turned just in time to see a unicorn burst into the clearing. With its presence, the bellflowers perked up a little. Hunk just stood there with his breath caught in his throat staring at one of the most rare and beautiful creatures he’d ever had the pleasure of witnessing. It raced past him without pause, and he turned to watch it go.

There was a legend that said that good things happened to those that encountered a unicorn. As it left, so did the extra brightness in the clearing. The sounds of yelling and the sound of galloping horses returned and Hunk turned to get out of the clearing before the people who’d obviously been chasing the unicorn showed up.

“You there!”

Hunk froze. Damn, too little too late. A band of poachers were astride horses at the opposite of end of the clearing. Most of them were holding bows. Quite a few of them had arrows knocked and pointed at him. He could really use some of that mystical luck right about now.

“Did you see the unicorn go by here?”

“Uh no, no I didn’t,” Hunk said. “I’ve just been collecting herbs for my patient.”

And I’d like you to leave so I can get back to it, he didn’t say.

“Hmm, I think you’re lying,” the lead thug stroked his frankly awful handlebar mustache. “Are you absolutely sure that you didn’t see a unicorn go by here?”

Hunk took a deep breath. Was he doing this? Yes, yes he was.

“No, I didn’t,” Hunk said. “You’ll have to continue your search elsewhere.”

“Liar,” Handlebar said. He gestured at the man nearest to him. “Shoot him.”

Hunk threw himself to the ground and most of the arrows sailed overhead. One ruffled his hair as it whizzed past. By some miracle, he managed to dodge them all. He sighed in relief and rolled to his feet and bolted.

A bow twanged. A searing pain radiated from the back of his thigh and shot up through his body. His leg became rubber beneath him and he collapsed. Hunk ate dirt as he skidded along the ground due to his momentum, finally coming to a rest curled on his side.

“Ow,” he groaned, clutching his leg.

“Why don’t you heal yourself, healer?” the leader sneered. His goons laughed behind him.

“It doesn’t work like that,” Hunk said through gritted teeth. And seriously he could see why these guys were thus. What kind of insult was that? “Healing is an art not magic.”

The man spread his arms out. “And is this place not a magical place? Are those plants not used in arcane potions?”

To be frank, Hunk was a little surprised that this random thug knew a word like ‘arcane.’ Well, he would be surprised if he wasn't so busy trying not to writhe in pain on the forest floor. Why did he always get caught up in things like this. He would like it if his life was nice, and peaceful and quiet. 

“Cough syrup is not an arcane potion."

“I’ll give you one more chance,” the man said. “Which way did the unicorn go?”

Wow these guys sucked at tracking. This probably wasn’t their day job.

"I told you already,” Hunk said. “I didn’t see a unicorn. Also, can I like get your name? Calling you handlebar in my head is super weird.”

“Dean, shoot him,” Handlebar said. “And don’t miss this time.”

“W-wait, do we really have to go there?” Hunk put his hands up in a placating motion.

Handlebar gestured for his man to stop. “Do you know which way the unicorn went?”

Hunk swallowed. “No.”

“Then we’ll have to go there,” Handlebar said. “Craig! What’s taking so long with that bow!”

“Sorry, sir, the string’s all shredded,” Craig said. He was pulling the threads off with shaking hands. “If I shoot it, it’ll snap.”

“What do I pay you for?” 

“You don’t pay me at all,” Craig said. “You press-ganged me into joining.”

Hunk started to slowly scoot back as the two began to argue. He was nearly to the edge of the clearing. Maybe he could get away. Maybe he could drag himself back to his village and get help. Yeah, he had to keep an open mind.

“Fool, it’s only press-ganging if it’s the army or navy! You there. Kevin!” He shouted pointing at one of the random thugs. “Shoot Craig for me and shoot this lying idiot of a healer before he gets away.”

“Hey! I’m not stupid,” Hunk said.

“Please, no-”

Kevin raised his bow and fired. His aim was true and Craig’s pleading voice fell silent as all the air in his lungs left him in one big gasp. He toppled over and was dead before he hit the ground.

Kevin turned towards Hunk and knocked an arrow, taking care to aim it directly at his heart, which was thudding madly in his chest. What could he do? He was absolutely fucked, as his good friend Pidge would say. So much for the luck of unicorns.

There was a crash and a shriek that sounded very much like a bird of prey. A man leapt down from the tree above Hunk and landed in front of him. Hunk gulped. He was beautiful and also hopefully here to save his life because holy crap he could really use some saving right about now.

The man reached out faster than blinking and grabbed Kevin’s bow. His arm muscles bulged and flexed as he brought it over his knee and snapped it like a piece of dry kindling. Which, Hunk supposed it was now.

“You!” his rescuer snapped. “You poachers sneak through my forest and hunt the creatures under my protection. You will pay for what you’ve done.”

The band of thugs sans Craig who was dead on the forest floor, broke out of their stunned silence almost immediately.

“Who are you to threaten us?” Handlebar jeered. “You are one man against the five of us. The odds aren’t in your favour at all. Look at him, men. Look at him and laugh.”

One of the thugs raised their hand. “Actually, I’m nonbinary.”

“Look at him, everyone. Look at him and laugh,” Handlebar said.

The thugs obliged their leader and fake laughed at Hunk’s rescuer.

“It is customary that I give those I’m about to fight my name. I am Shiro,” Shiro said. "Guardian of this forest." 

“I don’t care,” Handlebar said. “Ride him down. Ride them both down!”

As one, the thugs rushed him.

A smile tugged at the edges of Shiro’s lips before his eyes glowed red and suddenly the clearing was engulfed in flames. The heat that reached Hunk felt like a warm bath, far from the absolute inferno that the thugs were obviously feeling. Hunk saw one man’s coat catch fire as they turned tail and ran out of the clearing.

Handlebar paused at the edge of the trees and looked back at them. Shiro gestured, and the fire lashed out towards him. The man's horse whinnied in fear and turned tail and fled without its master’s prompting. e took one calculated look at Shiro and then followed his gang out of the clearing without another word.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“You’re very welcome. Those thugs have been travelling in through my forest since yesterday. I’m only glad I was able to get rid of them and protect you at the same time,” Shiro’s eyes caught on the arrow that was sticking out of Hunk’s leg. “You’re hurt!”

The man’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

“What? Hey no, don’t cry,” Hunk said. “It’s fine.”

Shiro didn’t reply except to say, “This will hurt.”

“Wha-aaagh,” Hunk doubled over and groaned as Shiro mercilessly forced the arrow through Hunk’s leg.

Shiro tossed the bloodied arrow aside and regarded Hunk’s injury instead.

“I’m going to lift your leg up for a moment,” Shiro said. Despite his wet cheeks, his voice was steady. He positioned Hunk’s leg in a bent position and tightened his grip just above the wound. Hunk let out a high-pitched whine and leaned forward to help ease the pain.

Tears rolled down from Shiro’s nose and plopped onto the torn up parts of Hunk’s leg. The pain dulled with every drop, and eventually stopped. Shiro pulled back with a soft smile, and Hunk, unable to help himself, wiped Shiro’s face of tears for him.

He shifted. His leg felt better than it had had before the arrow had pierced it. There weren’t even the muscle aches that he’d been suffering from earlier. He knew what the man in front of him was and he was even rarer than the unicorn that had passed him by earlier.

“You’re a phoenix,” Hunk said wonderingly. “I thought I’d never- It’s an honour to meet you. To be healed by you even!”

“I’ve watched you from afar as you’ve healed the wounded and spread kindness everywhere you go,” Shiro said. “It is I who am honoured to meet you. Farewell, Hunk. May we meet again one day.”

With that, there was a flash of fire and a red and gold bird flew up and out of sight.

It was then that Hunk looked around and realized that despite the fire that Shiro had caused earlier, none of the blossoms were damaged. Before his eyes, they resumed their soft tinkling. Hunk shook his head and couldn’t help but wonder if the whole encounter had been a dream.

Hunk looked down at where the wound had been on his leg. A single bellflower with petals that glowed like embers lay beside him. He picked it up and rotated the delicate stem watching the tiny flames spark as he did so.

That hadn’t been a dream.

“I hope we meet again too, Shiro,” Hunk said.

He tucked the flower behind his ear and quickly harvested the rest of the bellflowers that he’d come for. Then, he hurried down the path towards where his warm cottage and patient were waiting. He’d had enough weirdness for one day.

The phoenix sure had been cute though.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My cat has been sick as fuck for the past several days and I won't have tomorrow's up in time. Look for the next chapter Wednesday!
> 
> Come yell about Voltron with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Part 2 of the October Creature month challenge found [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


	9. Siren (Klance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 Siren (Klance)
> 
> “Humming and actual singing are two different things altogether,” Lance said slowly. “Keith, I can’t sing.”
> 
> “I mean if you’re scared-“
> 
> Lance set his tablet down with a deliberate ‘thunk’. “I just wanna be clear here. I’m doing this to prove a point. Not because you dared me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing as always. And also for writing like 80 percent of the song lyrics.

Siren Lance day 9

Lance loved to sing.

He came from a family of sirens, in fact. His mother often sang when she worked, a soft melody that sank straight into the walls of the house and radiated warmth. His brothers would sing as they played or, when they got older, sang to impress girls. One of his sisters was known throughout the town for her bawdy drinking songs.

Lance, on the other hand, didn’t. He could sing knowledge into people’s heads like the rest of his family, but his voice was just, well, awful. His family encouraged him when they could, and even sent him to lessons with a vocal coach, who after a few months of trying let him go with a sad shake of his head.

So, Lance had accepted this the best he could, moved on, and kept his singing to quiet places where people couldn’t hear him.

*

“I didn’t know you could sing,” Keith said.

The paladins minus Shiro were all chilling in the recreation room of the ship after a long day of training. In the background, an old Altean movie played.

Lance stopped humming and looked up from his data pad. “Wait, I wasn’t singing!”

“Yes, you were,” Keith crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Lance from the opposite corner of the couch with his eyebrow raised. “I wouldn’t have said anything if you weren’t.”

“Yeah, Lance is a terrible singer,” Hunk said. He leaned back over the edge of the couch. “Love you, buddy, but it’s true."

“Not denying that,” Lance said. “I’m really bad at it.”  
“No, you’re not,” Keith insisted.

“Humming and actual singing are two different things altogether,” Lance said slowly. “Keith, I can’t sing.”

“I mean if you’re scared-“

Lance set his tablet down with a deliberate ‘thunk’. “I just wanna be clear here. I’m doing this to prove a point. Not because you dared me.”

He stood up and cleared his throat. Hunk ducked for cover behind the couch. Pidge didn’t bother moving from her perch on the couch, and just turned up the music on her headphones. The tapping of her fingers against her keyboard was the only sound in the room.

“Well?” Keith said.

His cheeks were lightly pink, which made Lance swallow hard in return. What did Keith have to be embarrassed for? He was the one who was going to make a fool of himself here.

Lance cleared his throat. And he remembered what had drawn him to the art as a child, even though he didn’t have a beautiful voice. It was just fun to sing.

_Mullet, mullet you really suck._  
_Yet at the same time I can't help but gawk._  
_'Cause you're so cute you leave me awestruck._

_Truth is you possess everything that I lack._  
_I love how I know you'll always have my back._

_I've always thought you were effortlessly cool._  
_Even when you act like a complete tool._

Wait, what? This wasn’t what Lance had intended to sing. He’d just wanted to embarrass him for pushing the issue by informing him of how lame he was. It was too late, though, as the magic took hold of him for the first time in years.

_Now I find myself in front of you._

_A sudden realization, an epic clue._  
_Tell me mullet, there's something I need to know._

_Do I leave you warm, turn your knees to jello?_  
_Mullet, mullet please tell me._

Lance kept an eye on Keith as he continued to sing. The flush on his cheeks had darkened to a hectic red as Keith swayed closer to him. Keith stopped just short of touching him and looked up. Lance could see his own glowing eyes reflected in Keith’s awed ones.

_Mullet, mullet please tell me._  
_That you love me too, before I flee?_

All at once, the tension completely fell away from Keith’s body. He fell with all the grace of a puppet that had had its strings cut. Lance caught him. Funny, he’d always thought that when this moment came that his soulmate (because who else would appreciate his singing against all logic) would swoon gracefully into his arms, not pass out.

“S’pretty,” Keith slurred in his ear.

A bolt of warmth ran from where Keith’s breath touched his neck and throughout his body. He shivered. Keith sensed this and huddled even closer with a happy hum. Lance almost dropped him. This … wasn’t supposed to be how these powers worked. He’d essentially roofied him!

“What’s pretty?” Lance said eventually.

“Your singing.”

And Lance couldn’t help but blush as Keith’s head lolled on his shoulder. His hair tickled Lance’s neck.

“Oh my god, you knocked out Keith with your voice!” Hunk peeked over the couch. “Is that-is that even possible?”

The commotion caused Pidge to stop typing and lift her headphones from one ear. She stared at the sight in front of her. “Lance, did you knock Keith out with your bad singing?”

“Maybe it’s a Galra thing,” Lance said desperately. There was no way this was real. An itch was creeping over his body as he spoke. He knew what was coming and willed it down fiercely. Not here. “Keith, why don’t I take you to your room to lie down?”

“Mkay,” Keith murmured. “Are you coming too?”  
And wow, was Keith really out of it.

“Yeah, of course.” He slung Keith’s arm over his shoulder.

They made it to Keith’s room without incident. With every step, Keith’s eyes became a little clearer and his steps became steadier. He didn’t stop leaning on Lance though, which caused his heartrate to speed up to the point he felt like he was running a marathon. The itching was slowly intensifying and he knew he couldn’t stop the change much longer.

“Okay, here’s your room. See you later, Keith,” Lance said.

He turned and tried to bolt down the hall. Keith let out a frustrated growl and grabbed his arm.

“Keith, let me go,” Lance said. He twisted hard, but the red paladin’s grip was unrelenting.

“Not until we’ve talked about this.”

“You can just forget about it, Keith. I know you don’t feel the same way. We can go back to being rivals and hating each other-“

“What if I don’t want to?”

Keith stepped closer and Lance backed up against the wall. He continued to squirm. In any other circumstance, he’d be ecstatic to be in this position, but right now.

“Keith-“

Keith let out a frustrated sigh. “What if I don’t want to forget what happened, Lance?”

“Please forget,” Lance said. He closed his eyes and slammed his palm on Keith’s door. “I didn’t mean it.”

The door slid open and he pulled Keith into his room, and then twisted and shoved him away. Keith fell to the floor with a thud. Lance turned to go, but it was too late. He couldn’t keep it together any longer. The itching coalesced on his back along with a painful pressure right down each side of his spine. He doubled over with a groan as his wings erupted for the first time. His shirt tore, and he cursed as it did. He didn’t have a replacement!

“Lance, why is your hair blue?”

“That’s what you latch onto? Really?” Lance said. “Why couldn’t you just let me go?”

“Lance-“

“This is your fault anyway,” Lance said. He crossed his arms and noted that his nails had also sharpened into talons.

“Are you okay? And how is this my fault?”

“I’m fine! Of course, this is your fault! If only you hadn’t goaded me into singing, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“This isn’t my fault at all. You didn’t have to rise to the bait!” Keith said. “I barely pushed you.”

“Yeah well, I still didn’t want this to happen!”

Lance distantly noted that his face was wet and when had he started crying? He brushed the tears away angrily, but they kept coming. He couldn’t tell what he was more upset about. Revealing his feelings to Keith, or revealing that he wasn’t quite fully human to Keith. Though to be fair, Keith was likely the one who would understand the most.

Something brushed gently against his cheek. Lance looked up and met Keith’s gaze. The red paladin went bright red and turned away.

“I like you too,” Keith said.

“What?”

“I said, I like you too!” Keith yelled slowly like Lance was deaf or stupid.

Lance’s eyes narrowed into slits. Was he making fun of him or -

“Wait, you like me? You, Keith Kogane like me Lance McClain,” Lance gestured between himself and Keith. He had to lean forward a little to compensate for the weight of the wings.

“I just said that!”

“But you can’t-”

Keith wasn’t having it anymore. He grabbed Lance by what remained of his shirt and kissed him. Soft, thought Lance dazedly. Funny. He’d always expected Keith’s lips to be rough. Keith pulled back and gently touched his forehead against Lance’s. “You make me so mad sometimes.”

“Sorry,” Lance mumbled even as a lightness filled his limbs. He closed his eyes and simply breathed with Keith letting the other’s heat soak into him. His heartrate slowed down to something resembling normal.

“So what are you exactly?”

“Have you heard of sirens?”

*

Bonus:

Lance peeked around the corner and saw Kolivan walking towards him. He swallowed. It was time to test Pidge's theory and potentially humiliate himself again. Though who knew what would happen? He had gotten a boyfriend out of the deal last time. 

_Lullaby and good night my dear sweet Galra-_

Kolivan swayed drunkenly into the nearest wall and had to catch himself.

"Who's there?" Kolivan sounded like he was out of breath.

Lance cut off a hysterical laugh and slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirens were initially bird women who gave information to sailors through song instead of mermaid temptresses who would drown them. Kind of interesting how things change over the years eh?
> 
> Come yell about Voltron with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Part 9 of the October Creature month challenge found [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


	10. Fairy (one-sided Allurance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait-” Lance stopped. “You’re a-”
> 
> “Fairy? Does that bother you?” Allura said.
> 
> “Don’t fairies steal people?” 
> 
> “I promise you, Lance. I am not planning to take anything I haven’t already.” she turned and put her hand to her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the lovely [Eilera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eilera/pseuds/Eilera) for betaing this. All remaining mistakes are my own.

Day 10: Fairy Allura

“Lance, be careful,” his mother had said. “Those woods are dangerous.”

Lance slung his backpack over his shoulder and smiled. “It’s okay, Mama. I’ll be careful. Besides, Veronica needs it.”

Ha. He’d been so naïve. Of all things, he’d gotten lost. The path, already hard to follow in some places, had disappeared completely. He slumped against a tree. It was getting late and darkness always came early in these woods. He knew it was best to stop for the night. At least he’d found the feverfew. That was something.

The sound of a low, rumbling growl made him freeze in place. Well fuck. Best case scenario it was his imagination playing tricks on him. The forest was dead silent in a way that muffled any noise. It reminded him of the early morning fogs that sometimes rolled in from the ocean in the dead of winter and made it hard to see more than ten feet in front of him. Perhaps if he just stayed still, and quiet –

There was another growl, closer this time. Lance sighed. That was very clearly not his imagination then.  

“Please be a wolf,” Lance muttered under his breath as he unslung his bow and nocked an arrow. “Please, _please_ just be an ordinary wolf.”

Glowing red eyes pierced the fading light. The fetid stink of rotting meat washed over Lance. That was no wolf.

“Of course.”

Lance’s stomach sank, but he didn’t hesitate. He released the arrow and one of the eyes winked out of existence as an inhuman screech echoed through the trees, setting Lance’s teeth on edge. There was a loud thud as his would-be stalker hit the ground. It didn’t move again.

“Ha! Take that terrifying monster that I can’t see!” Lance pumped his fist in the air.

Another growl sounded behind him.  

Of course! It couldn’t be just one. The smile slipped off his face and he gripped his bow a little tighter as he searched for the source of the sound. Nothing. That must mean-

He spun on his heel, nocking another arrow as he did so. Two more sets of red eyes stared back at him. His bow sang once more, and one of the two sets of eyes disappeared. The other creature didn’t waste time, but immediately attacked. Giant paws, larger than any dog’s that Lance had ever seen, struck his shoulders. He hit the ground with a jarring whump; the deadly weight of the creature was a crushing force on his chest.

It knocked the air out of his lungs and stars popped in front of his eyes. He stared up at the creature that had caught him. It was like something out of his nightmares. The profile was jagged, vaguely in the form of a gigantic wolf.

This wasn’t happening. The creature let out a snarl.

_This couldn’t be happening!_

“N-no,” he wheezed.

Hot, sour breath washed over his face as he desperately gasped for breath.

As he kicked out at the chest of the creature who hardly seemed to feel it, it hit him.

He was going to die here.

The thing on top of him growled and something wet dripped onto his face. He pounded his fists on the sides of the creature’s legs.

A set of large, white teeth gleamed in the waning light. He was reminded of a scene he had stumbled across a few years back of a pack of wolves taking down a deer. How the deer had been still alive when they had ripped out its entrails.

Lance’s throat locked up and all he let out was a high-pitched whine. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. He didn’t want to watch this creature eat him.

Something whistled through the air and hit the demonic wolf with a thud. It yelped, and then stumbled. There was a second whistling sound and this time the creature collapsed.

Lance wasted no time, quickly rolling out of the way. Heart pounding, he attempted to stand but his legs wouldn’t cooperate, sending him crashing back to the forest floor. He struggled to all fours, crawling to the edge of the clearing.

The wolf shook off the first arrow and snarled. Lance screamed as it gathered itself up to lunge at him again.

A third arrow whizzed by and struck the creature in the temple. It let out a whining growl once, and then went still.

Lance looked around desperately for his saviour.

“Hello?” The voice was soft, with a hint of an accent not unlike what Lance was used to hearing in the city.

A soft light shone at the edge of the clearing. Attached to that light was a woman and she raised the lantern higher as if to see better. There was a kindness in her eyes that reminded Lance of a childhood memory, so faded that it only brought a sense of nostalgia with it.

“They could still be out there! What are you doing?” Lance’s voice was hoarse, likely from all the screaming that he’d been doing.

She crouched beside him and cast the lamp’s light at such an angle that she could see him from head to toe. “Dire wolves only ever hunt in threes here. You have nothing to fear,” she said. “Are you hurt?”

Lance shook his head.

 “I saw what happened. At least, some of it.” She looked back at the other two beasts, both dead with a single arrow through their eye. “Were you the one who killed them?”

“Yeah,” Lance said as he tried to calm his racing his heart.

“That’s an impressive shot.” For a moment her eyes appeared to narrow in a calculating manner.

Lance blinked, and her face was as it had been before curious, but not hostile. He shook himself. It was just jitters, he reminded himself. Now that he thought about it….

Are you a fairy? He couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. It was a ridiculous thought anyways. He wasn’t the only one that traversed through these woods.

“I’m Lance,” he said. “What can I call you, other than the angel that saved my life?”

To his gratification, her cheeks pinked a little. “You can call me Allura, And I did what anyone would have done in that situation. Those dire wolves have been an absolute plague on my forest lately.”

“Just so. I’d like to thank you properly. Why don’t we share a fire tonight? My family makes some of the best cured venison around.”

Allura laughed behind her hand. “Lance, I’m not sure if you noticed, but-“

She pointed one graceful finger behind him. Lance turned and saw that his pack had been crushed by one of the dire wolves during its death throes.

“Aw man,” Lance said. He’d loved that backpack!

“I do have more than enough to share,” Allura smiled softly at him which in turn made Lance’s cheeks heat up. “You’re more than welcome to join me at my fire. We can get to know each other a little better.”

Lance’s heart leapt. Back at the village, his flirting attempts were always rebuffed by the local girls. This was almost too good to be true. He looked up at her lovely face. Beauty, obviously able to hold her own in battle, he was sure there was more, but this was his dream girl!

“Y-yeah, that’d be great,” he said. To top it all off, he tripped over a random tree root. Way to be smooth, idiot!

“Are you okay?” she said.

“Help, I’ve fallen for you and can’t get up,” Lance muttered into the leaf litter.

Allura’s laughter sounded like tinkling bells. Lance’s ears went red and he scrambled up.

“Don’t worry, I can help with that,” she said. “Come on, it’s just around this corner. Follow me.”

And true to her word, there was another clearing only about twenty feet away. In the centre, a fire popped merrily, casting the surroundings in a warm glow. Lance blinked. He could’ve sworn that he’d come this way only a few minutes before he was attacked. Guess the whole fight had been longer than he thought.

Wait, then how did she not- he turned and looked at her profile as they walked into the firelight. The points of her ears were peeking through the wild tumble of her hair.

“Wait-” Lance stopped. “You’re a-”

“Fairy? Does that bother you?” Allura said.

“Don’t fairies steal people?”

“I promise you, Lance. I am not planning to take anything I haven’t already.” she turned and put her hand to her chest.

In the firelight, he made out faint markings on her cheeks. He shook his head. How had he not noticed before? She gave him a friendly smile as he met her eyes. Glowing pink flecks of light were floating in her eyes.

“Come sit by the fire,” she said.

Lance hesitated. This was a fairy. A mischievous being from another realm. Something that his abuella had told him to avoid at all costs. He turned to leave but found that he couldn’t. Despite his wariness, he found himself walking towards one of the logs and sitting down. The warmth of the fire chased away the chill that had been settling into his bones and he stretched his hands out to thaw them.

“Do you like tea?”

Without waiting for Lance to answer, she held a steaming cup out to him. At his disbelieving look, she sighed. “It was gathered in the forest. There’s nothing suspicious about it.”

“Sounds like something somebody suspicious would say,” Lance said, accepting the cup. He cradled it in his hands.  

She let out that peculiar laugh again and damn her, she was still beautiful. “It’s what anyone would say to someone who was staring at a cup of tea like it was going to bite them.”

Lance swallowed and tightened his hands around the mug. Her eyes glittered in the light but were somehow warm. Almost kind. He looked back down at his tea, unwilling to be caught staring at what was likely an aeons old fairy.

Lance tried to relax and searched around for something to say. Usually, he was a master of conversation, but tonight his words were failing him.

“What were you out in the woods for at this time of night?”

“My sister V-” He cut himself off, unwilling to give out her real name. Allura may have been…nice so far, but he didn’t trust her by a longshot. “She gets these headaches. The apothecary in town charges ridiculous rates for feverfew, so I went out to the forest to get some. I guess I can see why.”

“Yes. It has gotten bad around here as of late. They keep ruining my gardens,” Allura said.

Lance thought back to the clearing that he’d found the feverfew in. How was he supposed to know? “Is this yours then?”

“Consider it payment for felling those beasts for me,” Allura said.

“Ah th-I appreciate that,” Lance said. He tucked the feverfew in his pocket.

“We’re even then. Tell me more about your people, Lance.”

“There isn’t much to tell,” The words tumbled out of a mouth in a rush and without his permission. “We’re a poor village. We settled out here because no one wants the land.”

“How many people are there?” she said.

“One hundred and fifty-two,” he said. What was going on? He didn’t want to give her this information!

That was it. It was time to go. He tried to set down the mug but found that he couldn’t. it was like it was sealed to his hands. He jumped to his feet and tried to just get away from her, cup of tea be damned, but found that his feet were rooted to the ground.

“Leaving so soon, Lance?” Allura said. “We were just getting to know each other.”

And there was his fatal mistake. He’d given her part of his name. There was no way out of this. He was never going to see his family again. There wasn’t even going to be a _body_. They were just going to have to wonder what happened to him for the rest of their lives.

“No, of course not,” His mouth said without his permission, heedless of the screaming inside his head.

She had such kind eyes. Lance swallowed hard over the sound of his pounding heart and held onto that. Maybe if he just smiled and played nice, she would let him go.

“Is something the matter?” Allura asked.

“No, Allura. I just remembered something.”

“Really? What did you remember? Perhaps I can help?”

 Lance shook his head. His eyes were burning.

“Lance, tell me.” There was no kindness in her voice now. “What did you remember?”

“My family. They’re going to wonder what happened to me,”

“No, they won’t.”

He began to cry even as his face remained the same way it had been since he had entered the clearing. He struggled even harder to just _move_ but found that he couldn’t even do that now.

She sighed and stood up. “Lance, they’re not going to wonder because they won’t remember.”

“No.” His lips were numb. He was paralyzed.

The only part of him that could move were his eyes.

He watched her approach him with a sort of detached horror. She gave him a pitying look as she took his hand and pulled him gently to his feet. And his body went willingly.

“Nnn-!” The rest of the word caught in his throat behind his fat tongue. This wasn’t happening.

His body was perfectly lax, and he struggled to move enough to pull free from her grasp. He managed a light tug, and Allura's fingers tightened like an iron band around his wrist. She was freakishly strong, and Lance could feel his bones grind together.

 As she led him out of the clearing, mocking laughter from invisible spectators rose up from around him making him shiver and try to glance around for the source.

"Eyes on me," Allura said breaking through the well of fear that had been growing in his gut.

Shadows closed around him like knives. He was just helpless prey caught in the web of the gloating spider. No, this couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be right. She tightened her grip on him as if she had sensed that Lance was planning another escape attempt. The shadows closed behind him and they were plunged into total darkness.

He couldn’t believe it.

She’d seemed so kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last!
> 
> Come yell about Voltron & Symbrock with me on my [Tumblr](https://www.deathbystorm.tumblr.com)
> 
> Part 10 of the October Creature month challenge found [here](http://nolongerbugging.tumblr.com/post/150869819229/october-creature-challenge)


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